THE NAME GAME

The Luna and the E-Luna share a name, but frankly, they're poles apart

- Keshav Teiva Poumai

I have memories of a neighbour long ago who used to own a Luna. He started his day by religiously polishing the moped, starting it up with gusto, and puttering off to work on the little thing. Even though it was taken off the market more than two decades ago, the original Kinetic Luna was a cheap and practical workhorse that has since become somewhat of a collector’s item among a select group of vintage aficionados. When Kinetic Green launched the E-Luna, it was probably a well-meaning attempt at resurrecting a brand that was dear to many.

At first glance, one thing is glaringly obvious. The new E-Luna cannot really be deemed a moped, considering that it has no pedal assist feature (it would have been cool to have it, though). Secondly, while the overall silhouette follows similar lines as the old Luna, the dimensions are more or less along the lines of the TVS XL100. I noticed that the majority of the attention it received was from auto drivers and last-mile delivery personnel, considering the presumed utilitarian nature of the E-Luna, which is expected. What did take me by surprise was the fact that a lot of elderly passersby approached me and quizzed me about the EV. A recurring question was as to why it didn’t come with pedals, to which I didn’t have an answer.

Now, to get a proper feel of how different the two are, the most sensible thing to do was to put them side by side and pinpoint the contrasts. I got the chance to experience what it felt like to start (technically bump-start) the Luna: put it on the centre stand, pull in the decompression lever, pedal till it feels right, and release the lever with a gentle twist of the throttle.